Olive Young order under NT$2,000 but declared higher? Taiwan import tax
On Dcard's makeup board in Taiwan, someone placed an Olive Young Global order during a big sale and kept it just under NT$2,000 to get free shipping. But the declared value shown in the customs app (EZ WAY) came out above NT$2,000, apparently because the free gifts were added. The question: if they confirm the declaration as correct, do they have to pay tax?
About a dozen replies. The practical observations:
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One person found that amounts paid with reward points get added back into the declared value.
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Another said the courier declares the order value Olive Young provides, which is in US dollars; paying in another currency means exchange-rate differences, so the NT$ total you saw may not match the declaration.
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Someone had gifts counted at US$0.10 each, which pushed the parcel just over the threshold and triggered tax.
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Several shared what they actually paid as a reference, for example a little over NT$100 on a roughly NT$3,500 order and about NT$400 on a roughly NT$7,200 one. One tip: if you owe tax, pay quickly in the app, because paying the courier in cash seems to add a handling fee.
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Some advised aiming for either free shipping or tax-free, not both; others felt that on an order just over NT$2,000 the tax is smaller than the shipping fee anyway.
The consensus: the declared value comes from the seller, so if it looks higher than expected, work out whether points, gifts or the exchange rate caused it.
Desk note: According to Taiwan Customs (Taipei Customs Office), a single import shipment is exempt from duty and from the business and commodity taxes collected by customs only if its dutiable value is NT$2,000 or less, and that value includes the transaction price, freight and insurance. Once the same taxpayer has used this exemption more than six times in a half-year (January to June, or July to December), it no longer applies; the count resets on 1 January and 1 July. Declarations should match what is actually in the parcel, so if the value looks wrong, ask the courier or customs directly.
When buying skincare from abroad, would you rather pay more for shipping or a bit more in tax?
Original thread: Dcard makeup board — Olive Young import tax question · Source: Taiwan Customs
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